1. Field of the Invention
A gun Barrel Cleaner for use with a cleaning rod and swab.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are usually several stages of cleaning a muzzle-loading black powder gun, either when the shooter is hunting or the final cleaning after a day on the range. The buildup of residue after even one shot effectively reduces the interior bore diameter of the barrel causing subsequent powder pressures to increase. Thus, if the first ball or bullet leaves the muzzle at, for example 1200 feet per second, the next shot will leave at approximately 1400 feet per second. Obviously accuracy will be lost as bullets fired from a given point at different speeds will not strike at the same point of impact. To combat this, muzzle loading competitors and experts wipe the barrel after each shot (with the exception of the first, non-scoring, "fouling" shot permitted in matches to blow away and burn out excess oil or other preservatives left in the barrel for protection while not in use) to assure that bore diameter is the same for each shot. If this is not done, after as few as five shots in a fine rifle, it will be impossible to drive the ball down the barrel completely without badly deforming the soft lead creating a dangerous condition in which the barrel may burst if the piece is fired with any appreciable space between the powder charge and the ball lodged in the barrel.
Another phase or stage in the cleaning of black powder firing guns is one of extreme importance for the preservation of the gun or pistol or revolver in good condition. Both black powder and the newly developed substitute known by the trade name of "pyrodex" are hygroscopic of an extraordinary degree. It is of utmost importance that no residue of these substances be permitted to remain in the bore during storage or non-use due to the fact that they attract ambient humidity and will pit gun barrel steel, ruining the bore of the gun. The most common method of cleaning a muzzle loader during this final phase is to remove the percussion cap nipple with a wrench specially built for that purpose, remove the barrel from the lock and stock assembly and immerse the breech into a container of several gallons of hot plain or detergent-laden water. At this point, the shooter attempts to creater a "pumping" action by pushing a patch down the barrel on a "jag" and drawing it slowly back from the breech block to the muzzle, pulling water or cleaning solution along with it in a reverse-piston action so that the soapy solution is drawn throughout the bore length. With a "jag" and a patch, this operation must be repeated as many as twenty times. The patch must be changed each time until the last patches come through clean. During this operation patches are commonly "lost" in the bore.
As a result, a number of devices have developed to overcome these shortcomings or difficulties. Examples of these efforts are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 355,570; 1,156,683; 2,447,869; 2,744,275; 2,616,109; 2,763,081; 2,856,738; 3,205,518 and 4,050,175.
Despite these efforts a need for an effective reliable cleaning device exists.